WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Five things to know about Arizona, Purdue’s opponent in the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California.

• While the Boilermakers won three of their final four games to become bowl eligible, the Wildcats went 1-3 down the stretch, including a loss to rival Arizona State.

Arizona was 5-4 in the Pac-12 Conference’s South Division under coach Rich Rodriguez, who was Michigan’s coach from 2008 through 2010. He is 1-2 against the Boilermakers. The Wildcats were picked to finish last in the conference before the season.

• Quarterback Khalil Tate suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to Arizona State. Tate led the Wildcats to five wins since taking over the quarterback position Oct. 7. However, Arizona couldn’t hold a 10-point lead in the second half against the Sun Devils. Brandon Dawkins, who began the season as the starter, replaced Tate after halftime.

Tate leads the nation in yards per carry (10.17) and won the Pac-12 Player of the Week award four straight times. He’s the first conference quarterback to gain 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.

• Arizona is the top scoring team in the Pac-12, averaging 41.8 points to rank sixth nationally. The Wildcats have scored 30 or more points nine times. They’re averaging nearly 500 yards to rank 12th nationally.

However, Arizona has allowed 40 or more points five times and is allowing an average of 34.1.

• One early storyline: The Wildcats’ rushing attack against Purdue’s run defense.

Arizona is averaging 324.4 rushing yards to rank third in the country. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers allowed 133.3 yards on the ground, a drastic improvement from the 2016 season. Purdue has limited four of its last five opponents to less than 100 rushing yards.

• Lots of freshman playing key roles for Arizona.

Linebackers Tony Fields II and Colin Schooler led the conference freshmen in tackles with 91 and 88, respectively. Schooler had 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks against league teams.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Lorenzo Burns has five interceptions, tying him for the most in the nation by a freshman. Overall, the Wildcats have forced 24 turnovers, including 18 interceptions.